Investing in American Health II

Written by Peter Li-Chang Kuo

Today, the White House announced the "U.S. Dietary Guidelines," which will take effect immediately, beginning with the military and schools. At the same time, the MAHA Moms Club was established to help restore the health of the American people. As a result, the proposal submitted to President Trump on May 22 last year — “Investing in America’s Health” —has now formally launched a US$10 trillion opportunity.

Fig 1: Secretary Kennedy announcing the U.S. Dietary Guidelines (source: internet).

The article “Investing in America’s Health” was published on May 22, 2025. Its main points include the following:

Core Summary of the Article:

1. The article cites statistics and warnings from the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding "obesity," noting the global rise in obesity rates and their links to multiple chronic diseases. According to WHO data, approximately 16% of the world’s adult population (aged 18 and over) was obese in 2022, representing more than a doubling of the global obesity rate over the past 30 years.

Obesity increases the risk of "diabetes, heart disease, cancer, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, gastrointestinal disorders," and other conditions. It may also negatively affect mental health by increasing the risk of depression and anxiety, while reducing self-confidence and social participation. WHO estimates that by 2025, the global obesity rate could reach 20%, with wasted medical costs potentially reaching "USD 3 trillion" annually by 2030, and exceeding "USD 18 trillion" by 2060.

2. The article specifically discusses the “MAHA” (Make America Healthy Again) policy proposed by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which promotes the concept of a whole-food diet, encouraging greater consumption of minimally processed foods.

3. The author proposes health-oriented dietary programs aligned with MAHA policies, including applications of the New “Tech-Economic System” (TES)—such as “The eStore System” and the “Healthy Mini Hot Pot” operating model — recommending dietary reform and the provision of healthier meals as a way to reduce obesity rates in the United States.

Fig 2: The Diagram of TES

Significance of the “Investing in America’s Health” Proposal:

1. Responding to global and U.S. public health challenges:

The proposal highlights the global trend of rising obesity rates and the heavy burden of chronic diseases, while focusing specifically on the U.S. situation, where adult obesity rates are exceptionally high.

2. Supporting MAHA policy and dietary reform:

The article advocates the core principles of MAHA: whole-food diets, reduced consumption of ultra-processed foods, and improvements to the nutritional environment. This reflects a policy philosophy that treats public health as a matter of national security, rather than merely individual responsibility.

3. Integrating health with innovative economic models:

The proposal seeks to integrate health policy with new technology-driven economic system (TES) —such as “eStore” platforms and healthy food service solutions, emphasizing that improving public health can simultaneously generate economic benefits and employment opportunities.

In short, the proposal is not merely a set of dietary recommendations; it represents an investment in the long-term health of Americans from the combined perspectives of public health, economic development, and systemic transformation.

Significance of Today’s White House Announcement of the “U.S. Dietary Guidelines”

In early 2026, the U.S. government released the new “2025–2030 U.S. Dietary Guidelines,” whose core directions include:

1. A major shift in dietary policy—The new guidelines emphasize:

1) Prioritizing whole foods while reducing processed foods and added sugars;

2) Increasing protein intake (from the previous standard of 0.8 g/kg to 1.2–1.6 g/kg);

3) Introducing a simplified “inverted pyramid” nutrition visual model;

4) Retaining certain traditional food sources (such as whole-fat dairy products and meats) while controlling their proportions.

This marks a clear transition away from earlier mainstream recommendations centered on low-fat diets and refined grains, toward a stronger emphasis on overall food quality, reduced processing, and encouragement of real, whole foods.

2. Target populations—policy implementation in the military and schools:

The new guidelines are designed to be implemented first in military and school meal programs, indicating that the U.S. government intends to reform the dietary environment at its most foundational level —particularly among children and populations with significant health impact.

3. Alignment with the MAHA movement:

The "MAHA" (Make America Healthy Again) movement proposed by Secretary Kennedy has, over the past year, released strategic reports and advocacy initiatives focusing on combating childhood obesity and chronic diseases, reforming food policy, and advancing education and cultural outreach. The establishment of the MAHA Moms Club represents a strategy to promote healthy lifestyles through community and family-based engagement, although public reporting on its details remains limited.

Overall Significance — Resonance Between the Proposal and Today’s Policy:

The proposal put forward on May 22, 2025, advocated improving diets from the perspectives of holistic health, ecology, and systems thinking. Today’s U.S. Dietary Guidelines likewise emphasize real foods, reduced processing, and improvements to public food environments—demonstrating a high degree of alignment and forward-looking consistency between the earlier advocacy and current policy.

The implications of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines policy include:

1) Health has been elevated to the level of national policy, rather than remaining solely a matter of nutritional education;

2) Diet is no longer viewed merely as an individual choice, but as a core component of public health and national capacity building;

3) Implementation through the military, schools, and communities signals the establishment of a lifelong culture of healthy living;

4) In the long term, if effectively integrated into daily life and environmental design, the Dietary Guidelines and related initiatives can help "reduce chronic disease," lower healthcare costs, and improve overall quality of life—precisely the core objective of “health investment and structural reform” emphasized in the original proposal.

At APEC 2009, President Barack Obama explicitly highlighted the seriousness of "obesity" in the United States. As a result, within the “IIA-TES” framework that I contributed — Investing in America and Applying a New Technology-Driven Economic System — U.S. representatives concluded that the United States should establish "two million eStores." This concept represents the original prototype of today’s MAHA community model, and it also served as a catalyst for President Donald Trump’s vision of “advancing toward a USD 40 trillion GDP.”

The IIA-TES, originally designed as a tool for "rebuilding the global economy," now directly corresponds to today’s MAHA communities and MAHA Moms Clubs in the United States. Several layers of analysis are worth noting:

1. The United States’ Proactive Approach:

1) Strong policy continuity and execution capacity:

Since President Obama’s warning at APEC 2009 about the obesity crisis, the United States has consistently and strategically promoted public health and food-environment reform. Today’s MAHA initiatives — together with concepts similar to military, school, and community-based "eStores" —represent concrete action: large-scale deployment of healthy food services and educational resources at the community level.

2) Community- and family-centered strategy:

The establishment of the "MAHA Moms Club" demonstrates the U.S. government’s recognition that dietary culture must be cultivated within families and communities. This approach closely aligns with the “two million eStores” community-based micro-eCommerce concept proposed by U.S. representatives within the "IIA-TES" framework — starting from the community, integrating convenience, education, and nutrition to achieve comprehensive public health goals.

3) Integration of technology and economic incentives:

Under IIA-TES, the "eStore" is an innovative distribution concept — not merely a retail platform, but also a hub for education and community interaction. If today’s MAHA movement is combined with health-focused technology— such as APPs, electronic payments, and intelligent recommendations, it can significantly increase participation, reduce chronic disease risks, and potentially stimulate local economies.

Fig 3: TES System Architecture

2. The Neglect of the Taiwan Authorities:

1) Policy lag and limited execution:

In contrast, when we promoted the “Rich Taiwan Plan,” despite successfully securing the "APEC 1998 E-Commerce Bill," followed by the passage of "IPR and ICT" provisions that laid a solid foundation for “TES & eStore” development, progress stalled after 2000. Due to sustained obstruction by cartel-style corruption networks and administrative delays, the "USD10 trillion Vision" could not be implemented by the third sector.

While the United States moved from early warning to policy implementation — forming comprehensive community-based programs within little more than a decade —Taiwan’s comparable integrated systems combining health, education, technology, and economic development have remained largely at the conceptual or pilot stage.

2) Lack of nationwide system integration

Taiwan’s health policies have largely consisted of fragmented subsidies or public education campaigns, lacking a systematic network of community health nodes such as "eStores." In fact, after winning the APEC 1998 E-Commerce Bill, we advised President Lee Teng-Hui and, on May 24, 1999, formally proposed to the Taipei City Government a "Package of Supportive Measures for E-Commerce-based eStores."

Fig 4: Proposal to Taipei Government

Regrettably, only one component—the "Contactless TranSmart Chip Card" (the “TranSmart Card,” later known as the EasyCard)—was adopted for the Taipei Metro. The broader "eStore" concept, which was designed to address structural social challenges, was effectively squandered.

3) Insufficient cross-ministerial coordination:

"IIA-TES" emphasizes integration across technology, economics, education, and health. Today’s MAHA initiative in the United States integrates education systems, communities, healthcare, and military academies, clearly validating the correctness of our original proposition.

President Lee Teng-Hui, upon learning that Taiwanese innovators had secured the "APEC 1998 E-Commerce Bill," proactively requested for the necessary supporting infrastructure to be developed — recognizing that only in this way could Taiwan remain resilient amid global social transformation. Unfortunately, after his departure from office, this strategic coherence collapsed. The contrast between today’s U.S. proactivity and Taiwan’s neglect is stark.

3. My Perspective:

1) Proven foresight:

The "IIA-TES" framework and the concept of two million eStores have now been effectively realized in the United States through community-based MAHA implementation, proving that our vision was not merely theoretical but had real-world policy applicability.

2) U.S.–Taiwan comparison:

(1) United States: long-term planning + cross-sector collaboration + community-level implementation + technology integration.

(2) Taiwan: short-term, fragmented policies + administrative delays + corruption-driven resistance + insufficient system integration.

This gap reflects differences in policy determination and institutional execution capacity.

3) Future opportunities:

(1) If Taiwan can learn from the IIA-TES model — integrating smart communities, health-oriented eStores, and educational platforms — it still has an opportunity to combine technology, health, and social-responsibility investment into a genuine new tech-economic system and achieve a paradigm shift.

(2) The U.S. MAHA success model — beginning with community mothers, schools, and military academies, and gradually expanding nationwide—can serve as a valuable reference. During this process, Taiwan’s industrial sector could participate as a supporting force, creating new commercial opportunities.

Conclusion

The U.S. health crisis began attracting global attention at APEC 2009, when "obesity and chronic diseases" — with annual expenditures approaching "USD 300 billion" —emerged as major concerns for national security and economic sustainability. The "IIA-TES" framework proposed an innovative solution to this challenge through community-based micro "eStores," using "TranSmart Card" (cashless) transactions. By integrating healthy diets, electronic payments, educational resources, and community engagement, the system enables every household and every community to conveniently access whole-food, minimally processed, high-nutrition meals.

Former President Lee Teng-Hui described the IIA-TES vision on February 16, 2010, stating: “This is the Rich Taiwan Plan capable of creating a 'USD 10 trillion economic scale' for Taiwan.” In the United States, parts of this vision have already materialized through MAHA initiatives. In contrast, Taiwan’s progress was delayed by the prevalence of cartel-style interests and short-sighted decision-making, most critically through the loss of the authority to "assert Global Digital Sovereignty." As a result, Taiwan’s aspiration to become “The Center of the Maritime Century” faded into an unrealized ideal — highlighting a clear gap between institutional design and execution capacity. Nevertheless, if leadership at the highest level can once again demonstrate the decisiveness seen during President Lee’s era, the TES system still holds strong potential to be relaunched in Taiwan.

It is said that US President Donald J. Trump will sign the "Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act" on Wednesday, January 14. The bill, which was finally passed by Congress last December, allows non-dairy drinks such as fortified soy milk to appear on school menus in the coming months. It overturns the restrictions imposed on high-fat milk during former President Obama's administration, which means that "whole milk" is about to return to school tables across the country.

Today, the United States has formally implemented its "Dietary Guidelines," promoting whole-food diets and broad-based nutrition education across the military, schools, and communities — a strategy that closely aligns with the original "IIA-TES" vision. Initiatives such as the MAHA Moms Club exemplify how policy ideals can be translated into concrete action, underscoring that health is not merely an individual responsibility, but a pillar of "National Security Strategy."

Peter Li-Chang Kuo, the author created Taiwan's Precision Industry in his early years. Peter was a representative of the APEC CEO Summit and an expert in the third sector. He advocated "anti-corruption (AC)/cashless/e-commerce (E-Com)/ICT/IPR/IIA-TES / Micro-Business (MB)…and etc." to win the international bills and regulations.